Window-balance.



No. 696,308. lPatented Mar. 25, |902.

F.l w. G. tna'mzman. WINDOW BALANCE.

cation filed Jan. 3 1901.)

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l abme/134g THE NOR S FL-ES Co PHCTOJLITHD WASHING-'AON D C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK W. G. OETTCHER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

WINDOW-BALANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 696,308, dated March 25, 1902.

Appncanonnea tammy s, 1901. serai 1a. 41,979. iNo man.)

T0 a/ZZ whom, t wtcty concern: l

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. G. BOETTCHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Vayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Window-Balances; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to wliich'it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention is in the nature of an improvement in window appliances, and has for its object to provide improved means whereby the upper and lower sashes of windows may be readily balanced, moved simultaneously the same or different distances without weights or cords, either of the sashes moved while the other is stationary, and the sashes securelylocked together when desired.

Writh this object in View my invention consists in theimproved construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and afterward specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a View in inside elevation of a window equipped with my improvements, the central portion being broken out to narrow the igure and otherwise partially broken away. Fig. 2 represents a horizontal Vsectional view on a plane cut through the window and `frame on the broken line2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 represents a sectional detail view on an enlarged scale. Figs. 4 and are views illustrating modifications in the construction of the rack-bars to be hereinaftermentioned. Eig. 6 represents in side and end elevation a differential gear which I embody in my improvements.

Like numerals of reference mark the same parts in the figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings by numerals7 1 and 2 indicate, respectively,the left and right uprights of the window-frame, and 3 and at the upper and lower sashes.

5 and 6 indicate the inside window-strips, by means of which the sashes are held in position, one at least of which should be readily removable to facilitate the removal of the sash from the frame. It will be understrip is suflicient to permit the removal of the sash both strips maybe made removable in the same way, if desired.

l0 indicates a horizontal parting-bead between the upper and the lower sashes, which in my construction is cutaway at each end in order to provide space for gear-wheels 11 and l2. These gear-wheels thus occupy a centralposition inthe height of the frame, being, when the sashes are in closed position, in line with and between the two parts of the strip lO and between the lower end of the upper sash and the upper end ot' the lower sash.

13 indicates a rack-bar secured to the lower sash, and 14 a similar rack-barsecured to the upper sash, the teeth ofsaid rack-bars being adapted to engage with the gear-wheels 1l and l2, respectively, when desired, and the sashes being of the same weight substantially and the teeth of the rack of one sash engaging the teeth on one gear-wheel, while the teeth of the rack of the other sash engage the teeth of the other gear-wheel, one sash will counterbalance the other when the two gearwheels are arranged to rotate together, so that in such case the sashes will normally remain in any position to which they are adjusted, and any movement of either sash Will Acause a corresponding 'movement in the opposite direction of the other sash. The result of this arrangement is that by raising or lowering the lower sash, which is handiest to manipulate, the upper` sash will be correspondingly lowered orraised without the 11ecessity of handling the upper sash at all.

Under some circumstances it is desirable that one sash shall move through a-greater distance than the other, it being especially desirable under certain conditions that the lower sash be raised a much greater distance than the upper sash is lowered. To accomplish this, I use a differential gear-wheel, as illustrated in Fig. 6, which wheel is provided with two sets of gear-teeth 15 and 16, the first set arranged in a circle of greater diameter than that of the second. If the lower sashrack should be engaged with the teeth l5 and the upper sash-rack with the teeth 16,the relative movement of the lower sash will be greater than that of the upper sash, so that stood, of course, that while one removable thelowersash 1nayberaised,say, forinstance,

IOO

two-thirds its full height, while the upper sash is lowered one-third its height. The diierence between the diameter of the circles of the two sets of wheels having teeth 14 and 15 lnay be varied as desired.

The rack-bars may be made in any suitable style-for instance, by cutting teeth on the edge of a flat bar, as in Fig. 4, or by bending a strip ot' metal, as in Fig. 5, the bar of Fig. et being secured in a groove in the wood, as shown in Figs. land 2, and the bent strip by means of nails or screws, in either instance it being preferred to have the outer edges of the teeth iiush with the inner surface of the sash to which the bar is secured, as shown best in Fig. 2.

My preferred method ot mounting gearwheels is shown in the enlarged Fig. 3, in

- which 22 indicates a plate set in the frame,

into which is threaded or otherwise secured a screw or headed pin 23. It will be noticed that the gear-wheels are separate and are provided on their respective adjacent faces with clutch-teeth 2t and 25, so arranged that when these clutch -teeth are engaged the two gear-wheels will rotate together. These clutch-teeth will engage each other by means of a spiral spring 26, located about the pin 23, between the head 27 of the pin and the first gear-wheel. Vhen one sash is moved, rotating its particular gear-wheel, the other sash will be moved in the opposite direction, the engagement of the clutch-teeth causing the two gearwheels ordinarily to turn together; but when either of the sashes is secured against movement by any suitable means (not shown) the yielding engagement of the clutch-teeth will permit the gearot the other sash to turn independently, so that the last-named sash may be raised or lowered when the first-named sash is locked. The

pressure of spring 2G upon said gear-wheels is such that the said clutch-teeth may be caused to disengage for permitting independent rotation of said gear-wheels, the said wheels sliding on pin 23 against the pressure of said spring 16 sufficiently to permit ot such disengagement of the clutch-teeth.

I provide an ordinary meeting-rail lock, as shown at 29 in Fig. l, and also a lock 30, engaging a hook 3l, to lock the lower sash down when desired.

It will be further understood that the rack and gear mechanism may be applied to either one or both sides of the window, as may be desired.

The advantages attending the operation of my invention will be readily apparent, and it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art to which the invention appertains that various slight changes may be made in the various constructions without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what Ielaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination with a window-f rame and upper and lower sashes slidable therein of a shaft secured ceu trally in the side of the frame, two gear-wheels slidably mounted on said shaft having their adjacent sides provided with clutch-teeth, a spring for normally holding the clutcli-teeth in engagement, and rack bars on the sashes having their teeth normallyin engagement with the respective gearwheels, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK W. G. BOE'lTCIIER.

Witnesses:

M. B. BREITENeACH, WM. C. GOTTMAN. 

